Now And Then

This week's playlist is in pairs... one new and one old. It was inspired by the fact that so many people I know were in Seattle this past weekend to see U2. Their latest CD, No Line On The Horizon, was definitely a miss, but I sometimes forget how amazing their earlier work was.

I never realized Bono was only 30 when U2 released Achtung Baby. I was in college at the time and still remember the shock of first hearing The Fly. It certainly didn't sound like anything from The Joshua Tree, if it even sounded like U2 at all. I bought Achtung the day it was released and I couldn't stop listening to it. It was just so... so... so... bold. On first listen, I didn't even understand it. Their latest CD, No Line On The Horizon, sounds like way too much work went into crafting each and every note, to the point where there isn't enough authenticity left. And the lyrics are... well, they're kind of irrelevant. Get On Your Boots? Really? Eek.

The new Death Cab For Cutie disk isn't very impressive either, sadly. Similar to U2's 'No Line', Death Cab's Codes And Keys CD sure sounds good, but too little of it resonates. The music sounds... right? But most of the lyrics are... mostly unnoticeable.

On the other hand, the new Decemberists album, The King Is Dead, is like a return to form. Highly recommended!